This was true, for example, of the
Egyptians, whose separate peace with Israel in 1979 lacked any sure guarantee
that Palestinian rights would be respected. Nevertheless, the leadership of the
PLO managed to overcome these threats in a number of ways. It was able to
rebuild the unity of the movement, whenever this was required to launch a new
political initiative. It also made skilful use of the disagreements between the
various Arab states to find new allies for itself and to avoid falling under the
influence of any one potentially hostile regime. By so doing it was in a position
to take maximum advantage of the revolt against Israeli rule on the West Bank
and Gaza, the Intifada, when it broke out in December 1987 and to use it as a
launching pad for a renewed drive towards an independent Palestinian state